Chinese state-sponsored contract hacker arrested in Italy at US request

9/7/2025 7:19

The U.S. Department of Justice said on Tuesday a Chinese state-sponsored contract hacker was arrested last week in Italy at the request of Washington, but the arrested man claimed he is a victim of mistaken identity.



Xu Zewei, 33, was arrested on July 3, the Justice Department said, adding a nine-count indictment was unsealed on Tuesday in the Southern District of Texas alleging the involvement of that individual and a co-defendant in computer intrusions between February 2020 and June 2021.



Xu was arrested in Milan, Italy, and will face extradition proceedings, the DOJ said in a statement.



It alleged China's ministry of state security had directed theft of COVID-19 research and the exploitation of Microsoft email software vulnerabilities.



The Chinese government has denied allegations of being involved. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.